“…So, when I gave the Golden Flame Dagger to Hunter Kim Hwarin, unknown people suddenly broke into my house.”
“Right. I see. You must have been very surprised.”
When I came to my senses, my stomach was completely full, and my mouth had already spilled every last bit of information.
Although I hadn’t revealed the specific details of my skill, I had inadvertently disclosed everything, from becoming a dragon upon awakening to selling weapons to Kim Hwarin out of hunger.
‘…This is a disaster.’
If things continue like this, my true identity will be exposed, and all my scales will be ripped out.
I absolutely had to find a way to overcome this situation. Somehow.
As I racked my brain, deeply lost in thought, Jang Heeyoon rose from her seat.
“Dayoon. Big sister has something urgent to attend to, so I need to step out for a moment. You’ll be fine here, won’t you?”
“…Yes.”
‘If my identity had already been exposed, it would be best to act even slightly submissive.’
With no other choice, I nodded my head.
“I’ll be back in ten minutes, so please wait a little.”
With those words, Jang Heeyoon exited through the door, leaving me to my solitary torment.
‘What if the Bureau had figured out my true identity? Should I run?’
‘If I ran, where would I go? Could I use my skill to escape?’
‘What was their intention in giving me chocolate snacks?’
‘Would it be alright to eat just one more chocolate snack?’
‘What should I do now that I’ve eaten all the snacks?’
****
“So, an S-rank Awakener has made a new appearance?”
Within the somber conference room, Director Joo Deokhwan posed the question.
“Yes. They are presumed to be a crafting-type Awakener. They created an A-minus rank weapon without any special base materials.”
“Hmph…! They created an A-minus rank weapon? And without any base materials? They must be S-rank!”
At those words, Joo Deokhwan inwardly rejoiced.
As a former hunter, he keenly understood the critical importance of weapons.
The supply of weapons for hunters was perpetually insufficient.
Items found in dungeons typically came with curses, and crafting-type Awakeners had limitations on their magical energy.
Furthermore, even with sufficient magical energy, crafting high-grade weapons invariably required ‘base materials’ imbued with magic.
If they truly created an A-minus rank weapon without base materials, it could potentially resolve the chronic weapon shortage faced by domestic hunters.
“The problem lies with their age.”
“Age? What do you mean?”
“Yes. As they are also an ‘Aberrant-type’ Awakener (TL Note: A type of Awakener whose body undergoes a significant transformation, often making their original form unrecognizable), we couldn’t confirm their exact age, but based on their height, they are estimated to be around ten years old.”
“Hmm…”
At his subordinate’s words, Joo Deokhwan swallowed a sigh.
He had harbored great expectations upon hearing of a newly appeared Awakener presumed to be S-rank, but the revelation of their ten-year age left him profoundly disappointed.
‘What is to become of Korea’s fate? If only they were an adult, even that would be enough.’
Although the government offered as much support as possible, countless Awakeners still transferred overseas.
Particularly when Awakeners were young, their parents often accepted overseas offers on their behalf, leaving Joo Deokhwan’s mind plagued with worry.
‘Financial support would be meaningless. An S-rank would earn as much money as they desired anyway. I would have to employ a different strategy of persuasion…’
Moreover, even if they weren’t poached, it wouldn’t solve all the problems.
No matter how unstable the political climate, a ten-year-old could not be deployed for practical duties.
Merely using magical energy and skills would place an immense strain on their body.
This meant they would have to endure for at least another decade with the current power they possessed.
“…For now, we must prioritize nurturing them with our utmost effort. We absolutely cannot allow them to be poached by foreign powers.”
“Given their young age, the likelihood of them being lured abroad is especially high, so manage them with exceptional care.”
“Consider allocating up to 20% of the Bureau’s budget for their support.”
Despite the news of an S-rank Awakener’s emergence, the conference room remained shrouded in a subdued atmosphere.
Just then, two staff members entered in succession.
“We have additional news regarding the Awakener!”
“I have something to report about the S-rank Awakener.”
At the timely arrival of news from both individuals, Joo Deokhwan nodded, hoping they brought favorable tidings.
“Alright. Awakener Jang Heeyoon, you speak first.”
“Yes. We conducted a brief psychological analysis and Q&A session with Miss Lee Dayoon, the presumed S-rank Awakener. Hunter Kim Hwarin’s statements have all been confirmed as true.”
“Anything else?”
At Joo Deokhwan’s prompt, Jang Heeyoon paused for a moment before continuing her report.
“And, it appears Miss Lee Dayoon’s mental age is at the level of a preschooler.”
“Hmph…”
Joo Deokhwan let out a groan at Jang Heeyoon’s words.
An S-rank Awakener, of all people, possessing the mental age of a preschooler—it was nothing short of a tragedy.
“…I see. And you, what news do you bring?”
With a heavy heart, he turned to listen to the other staff member’s report.
“Uh… well…”
However, for some reason, the staff member trailed off.
“Don’t you think I should hear the bad news as well? Speak quickly.”
“Um… Awakener Lee Dayoon is, that is to say, appears to be an adult male?”
“Hm?”
A strange atmosphere pervaded the conference room.
They had already seen a photograph of a child with horns, wings, and a tail, yet now they were being told this individual was an adult male?
And what was an adult male with the mental age of a preschooler supposed to be?
The information was incomprehensible.
Everyone paid close attention to the staff member’s words.
“The deployed agents found no other Awakeners inside or outside the house, and a government database search revealed that the only person living in the house where Awakener Lee Dayoon was discovered was a 25-year-old unawakened male.”
“So, why did you reach that conclusion?”
“…And that male’s name was ‘Lee Dayoon.’”
Even after the staff member finished speaking, a prolonged silence hung heavy in the conference room.
After dozens of seconds of silence, Director Joo Deokhwan was the first to break it.
“…So, you’re saying this girl is actually an adult male, and their awakening ability transformed them like this? Awakener Jang Heeyoon. What are your thoughts?”
Jang Heeyoon hesitated for a moment, taken aback, before offering her opinion.
“We can consider two possibilities. One is that Miss Lee Dayoon was gaslighted by a male named ‘Lee Dayoon.’”
“So, an unawakened individual brainwashed the girl and perfectly hid her from the Bureau? That lacks credibility. What’s the other possibility?”
“…Although it’s a very low probability, there have been reported cases of Aberrant-type Awakeners completely losing their original form after awakening, much like America’s Salamander.”
“Furthermore, extremely rare instances of regressive infantile symptoms after awakening have also been confirmed.”
“That… indeed, the probability is too low.”
Both hypotheses were far too unrealistic to be believed as reality.
Statistically speaking, it would be akin to a lottery winner being struck by lightning, collapsing, and then surviving.
‘But the latter held more credibility.’
After a prolonged period of deliberation, Joo Deokhwan made his decision.
“…For now, let’s just conduct a rank assessment for Awakener Lee Dayoon and then send them home.”
“Excuse me? But…”
“If we were to monitor them and get caught, the repercussions would be unbearable.”
“We’ve already ruined our first impression by raiding their home; do you truly intend to incur further risk?”
Given the scarcity of information, the Bureau had no choice but to adopt a passive approach.
Initially, they had left a terrible impression by mistakenly treating it as a child abduction case, but from this point forward, they had to avoid making any more errors.
“Treat them with utmost deference, ensuring it remains discreet from the public eye.”
“Strictly control the media and any rumors circulating, as we’ve lost Awakeners due to unwanted attention more times than I can count.”
“Yes. I will relay that immediately.”
“And did you say the agents broke many windows and pieces of furniture? If possible, have the house cleaned up right away as well.”
Unbeknownst to Lee Dayoon, groundwork was being laid to appease her.
****
“…When on earth is she coming back?”
Jang Heeyoon, who had promised to return in ten minutes, still hadn’t appeared even after twenty had passed.
Because of her absence, I had unknowingly devoured a copious amount of unhealthy snacks.
A few minutes later, Jang Heeyoon returned to the room.
“I’m sorry I’m late. Were you bored all by yourself?”
Her gaze soon fell upon the scattered snack crumbs and empty wrappers strewn across the desk.
“…You ate all the snacks?”
“I’m sorry…”
I hung my head low.
They were expensive snacks, presumably bought for children, and now that I had eaten them all, she wouldn’t be pleased.
There was nothing I could say, even if she were to get angry.
“It’s alright. We have plenty of snacks anyway. More importantly, there’s somewhere I’d like you to come with me. Would you be able to?”
“Yes.”
Though I had no idea where we were going, having already consumed all the snacks, I couldn’t possibly refuse.
Following behind Jang Heeyoon, I exited the room and began walking down the corridor.
With every step, the gazes fixed upon me from all directions felt burdensome, especially since I didn’t know our destination.
“Um, excuse me, but where are we going?”
“Oh, the gentlemen from the Bureau want to confirm what amazing abilities Dayoon possesses, so we’re heading to the assessment facility.”
“Ah, the skill registration procedure.”
It was a procedure every Awakener in South Korea underwent at least once: the process of having one’s skills measured and assigned a rank.
Upon completion, one would be officially registered as an Awakener and gain access to numerous benefits.
‘From tax reductions and bonus points for public enterprise applications to vouchers—it was brimming with all sorts of advantages.’
It was also one of the reasons I had so desperately wished to become an Awakener.
Moreover, the prospect of receiving an identification card proving my Awakener status upon registration was equally appealing.
However, at this moment, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to enjoy any of it.
Instead, a future flashed before my eyes: one where I was imprisoned as a criminal, my scales forcibly extracted, and my body used as a factory for weapon production.
“We’re here.”
Soon after, I stepped into the assessment room where skills were verified.
“Awakener Lee Dayoon. Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
Several uniformed individuals were handling machinery and inputting data into computers.
“Please stand on the platform here.”
The assessment method was simple: step onto the designated platform and grip the handles on both sides.
That alone would display the rank and name of one’s ability.
“Please grasp both handles.”
How would the Bureau react once they learned of my abilities?
Would they try to exploit me, someone utterly devoid of combat power, as a weapon factory?
Or would they accommodate my needs based on my rank?
With a mix of anticipation and apprehension, I gripped the handles positioned on either side.
